Assistance dogs â&#x20AC;&#x201C;
A guide for
all businesses
How to enable assistance dog
owners to use your service

The Equality and Human Rights
Commission
We have a statutory remit to promote and
monitor human rights; and to protect, enforce
and promote equality. We are committed to the
vision of a modern Britain where everyone is
treated with dignity and respect, and we all have
an equal chance to succeed.
We have produced this guidance to help
businesses understand what they can do to
comply with their legal duties under the
Equality Act 2010.
The EHRC wishes to thank Hearing Dogs for Deaf
People UK for their assistance with this guide.

Who should read this guide?
If you offer a service to members of the public whether
for payment of not, whether you are a private business
or a public service, this guide is for you. It explains what
your legal duties are to assistance dog owners under the
Equality Act 2010 and how you can meet them, often at
no additional cost.

Contents
1. What is an assistance dog?

Page 3

2. Why should assistance dogs be welcomed
by businesses?

Page 5

3. What are my legal obligations?

Page 7

4. What do I need to do as a business owner? Page 11
5. Where can I find further advice?

Page 16

1

Thousands of disabled
people rely on an
assistance dog
to help them with day
to day activities

2

1. What is an assistance dog?
Thousands of disabled people rely on an assistance dog
to help them with day to day activities that many people
take for granted. You may be surprised to learn that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
not only blind people that are helped by assistance dogs.
Assistance dogs are also trained to help people with
hearing difficulties, epilepsy, diabetes, physical mobility
problems and more.
Assistance dogs carry out a variety of practical tasks
for people as well as supporting their independence
and confidence.
Assistance dogs are not pets
Assistance dogs:
are highly trained
will not wander freely around the premises
will sit or lie quietly on the floor next to its owner
are trained to go to the toilet on command and
so are unlikely to foul in a public place
are instantly recognisable by the harness or
identifying coat they wear.
Every assistance dog user will carry an ID book giving
information about the assistance dog and training
organisation together with other useful information.

3

Disabled people who
use assistance dogs
quite often experience
discrimination that
prevents them from
doing everyday things
other people take for
granted.

4

2. Why should assistance
dogs be welcomed by
businesses?
Disabled people who use assistance dogs quite often
experience discrimination that prevents them from
doing everyday things other people take for granted.
This is because shops, restaurants and other businesses
sometimes object to assistance dogs being brought onto
their premises. If this happens, the effect is to deny the
disabled person the opportunity to buy goods or use
services in the way other people do.
Potential consequences include
losing valuable business and
risking claims of disability
discrimination, which could
result in financial
compensation.

5

It is unlawful, for
example, if a service
provider advertises
stating that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;assistance
dogs are not welcomeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
on their literature

6

3. What are my legal
obligations?
The Equality Act 2010 says it is unlawful for a service
provider to discriminate against a disabled person in the
following ways:
Direct discrimination – treating a person less
favourably than others because of their disability,
or because of a perceived disability. For example,
offering a service on worse terms.
Indirect discrimination – where a neutral policy
or rule is applied to everyone but puts those with
a disability at a disadvantage.
Discrimination arising from disability –
discrimination for any reason connected to the
person’s disability that is not covered by other forms
of discrimination.
Failure to make reasonable adjustments –
where a physical feature, provision or practice puts a
disabled person at a substantial disadvantage the service
provider has a duty to take reasonable steps to alter,
remove or avoid that disadvantage.
This includes providing auxiliary aids and services such
as an induction loop or Large Print materials.

7

8

Harassment – creating an intimidating, degrading
or hostile or offensive environment for a person because
of their disability.
Discrimination by association – this is when a
person who may or may not be disabled is treated less
favourably because of their association or connection
with a disabled person.
Victimisation – when a person, whether disabled or
not, is treated less favourably because they have made
a complaint about discrimination, or assisted someone
else to make a complaint about discrimination; this
includes being a witness.
Discriminatory advertisements – if a service
provider advertises that in offering a service they will
treat disabled people less favourably this will amount
to direct discrimination. For example, stating that
assistance dogs are not welcome on literature or a
booking form.
Positive discrimination – the law recognises the
particular disadvantages that disabled people face and
so treating disabled people more favourably than others
is permitted.

9

It is easy to distinguish
between an assistance
dog and a pet by the
harness or identifying
coat it wears and the
special tag on its collar.

10

4. What do I need to do
as a business owner?
How can I tell it is a registered assistance dog
and not just a pet?
It is easy to distinguish between an assistance dog
and a pet by the harness or identifying coat it wears
and the special tag on its collar. If you have a lot of
customer-facing staff, consider displaying a small
sign or sticker on the door or wall at the entrances
showing that assistance dogs are welcome. This sign
helps to remind staff. Make sure all relevant staff are
made aware that they must allow access to registered
assistance dogs.
Stickers are available from Assistance Dogs (UK) contact details can be found on page 16.
What if the dog fouls on my premises?
Assistance dogs are trained to go to the toilet on
command and so are very unlikely to foul in a
public place.

11

12

My business sells food products, am I obliged
to allow assistance dogs in?
Assistance dogs are highly trained, have regular
veterinary treatments and are tested on a regular
basis to make sure they don’t present a health risk.
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health has
determined that they are unlikely to present a risk to
hygiene and should be allowed access to restaurants,
cafe’s, hotels, food shops and other food premises.
What if the assistance dog is a danger or
nuisance to other customers or staff?
Assistance dogs are specially selected for their
temperament and trained by expert dog trainers over
a long period of time. They are tested in different
situations over several months to make sure they are
always under control and won’t present a nuisance
to anyone. For example, they don’t jump up and will
lie down at their owner’s feet if the owner sits down
to eat.
Disabled people who are partnered with assistance
dogs also receive expert training to ensure that they
can handle their dogs.

13

Why should I allow a disabled person to be
accompanied by their registered assistance dog?
Disabled people rely on their assistance dogs to
assist them with everyday tasks and would find it
hard to manage without them. It would be unlawful
to refuse access to a disabled person accompanied
by an assistance dog except in the most exceptional
circumstances. For example, in certain hospital wards.
Assistance dogs as well as being trained to carry out
tasks can also provide emotional and psychological
well being and improve the confidence of disabled
people who use them.
Are there cultural or religious reasons to deny
service to a person with an assistance dog?
Religious or cultural beliefs have sometimes been cited
as a reason for non-admittance of assistance dogs.
However, there is a legal requirement to permit access
to assistance dogs and such beliefs are not a defence
against non-compliance. However, this is a sensitive
aspect of the access issue and tact should be used by
all involved.
The Muslim Shariat Council have clarified that Muslims
should accept assistance dogs in their businesses.
14

What if someone is or might be allergic to dogs?
Refusing to allow access to people with assistance
dogs because other people ‘might’ be allergic to dogs
is likely to be unlawful disability discrimination. This
is because the Equality Act 2010 states that service
providers must make reasonable adjustments to
policies for disabled people. This includes amending
‘no dogs’ and ‘no pets’ policies to allow access for
assistance dogs.
If there is an identifiable person with an allergy to
dogs then employers and service providers should take
reasonable steps to ensure that person has minimal or
no contact with dogs; reasonable steps are unlikely to
include banning all assistance dogs.
15